Afghan Biographies

Barmak, Siddiq

Name

Barmak, Siddiq

Ethnic backgr.

Tajik

Date of birth

1962

Function/Grade

Afghan Filmmaker

History and Biodata

3.BiodataBarmak was born in Sept, 7, 1962 and is from the Panjsher valley. After finishing film school in Moscow in 1987, he returned to his country, where he directed short films and then headed the government agency in charge of cinema from 1992 to 1996. Forced to flee when the Taliban came to power, he returned after their fall to resume managing the Afghan Film Organization.

Siddiq Barmak is also director of the Afghan Children Education Movement (ACEM), an association that promotes literacy, culture and the arts, founded by Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who has also received the Fellini Medal. ACEM is supported by UNESCO, which is providing funds to dozens of schools in Afghanistan for repairs, equipment and teacher training.

He is an Afghan filmmaker who started out making documentaries. He rose to fame when his movie "Osama" won world-wide praise. It even won the prestigious Golden Globe award for best foreign film at a ceremony in California, USA in January 2004. "Osama" is the story of a young girl during the oppressive rule of the Taliban who is forced to dress like a boy in order to provide for her mother and grandmother. During the Taliban, women were forbidden to work or even leave the house without a "legal companion".